In a shocking betrayal of his Hippocratic oath, a San Clemente fertility doctor has been convicted of the cold-blooded murder of his own wife. E. Scott Sills, 58, faced a jury that concluded he strangled his wife to death, a heinous act cloaked as a household accident back in November 2016, the Orange County District Attorney's Office reported yesterday.
On the fateful day, Sills alleged a horrific discovery upon waking — his wife Susann Sills, lifelessly sprawled at the bottom of their staircase. Sills, who now faces 15 years to life in state prison, with sentencing set for March 15, initially tried to pass off the murder as his wife's tragic tumble down the stairs. However, evidence obtained at trial painted a grisly scene of the true struggle that ended in Susann's death by strangulation, not a fall. Her last breaths seemingly drawn in her daughter's bedroom where she sought respite for a migraine, according to District Attorney Officials.
Blood stains marked the walls, and curtains of the room and a tuft of Susann's hair told the tale of a violent clash — a story Sills hadn't anticipated being unveiled. “Dr. Sills was sworn to care for the sick and injured and his chosen profession as a fertility doctor helped bring so much joy to his patients but the woman he vowed to love in sickness and health was strangled to death by his own hands,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer admonished through damning words shared by the Orange County DA's Office.
Spitzer laid bare the dark undercurrent of what many saw as a highly respected medical professional. “Think of how diabolical you, have to be – not only to kill your wife but to make it look like she had fallen down the stairs. It took calculated planning to commit this crime and worse of all he ruthlessly and selfishly murdered the mother of their children who now are left without their parents. I am grateful to the jury for the verdict and the diligent work by investigators and Senior Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker for holding him accountable for his reprehensible act,” he said, as reported by the Orange County DA's Office.
The case, prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Walker of the Homicide Unit, now concludes one chapter of this tragedy as the children of E. Scott and Susann Sills face a future without their mother, and with their father behind bars.
